Description (from cover): “When a desperate woman comes to Daniel Pitt seeking a lawyer for her boyfriend, Rob Adwell, Daniel is convinced of the young man’s innocence. Adwell has been accused of murder and of setting a fire to conceal the body, but Daniel is sure that science can absolve him — and Miriam fford Croft is the best scientist that he knows. Miriam connects Daniel with her former teacher Sir Barnabas Saltram, an expert in arson, and together, they reveal Adwell’s innocence by proving that an accidental fire caused the victim’s death. But it’s not long before Adwell is killed in the same fiery fashion. If these deaths are, in fact, murders, what essential clue could Daniel and Miriam have missed?
As their investigation deepens, one of Saltram’s former cases comes into question, and Miriam finds herself on the defensive. If the reasoning Saltram used in that case is proved false, several other cases will have to be re-tried, and Saltram’s expert status — not to mention Miriam’s reputation — will be ruined. Haunted by Saltram’s shady tactics in and outside of the classroom, Miriam is desperate to figure out truths both past and present and protect herself in the face of Saltram’s lies. What started as an accidental fire in Adwell’s case seems to be linked to a larger plot for revenge, with victims accumulating in its wake, and Miriam and Daniel must uncover who or what is stoking these recurring flames — before they, too, find themselves burned.”
My Thoughts:
This book is the third installment of Anne Perry’s Daniel Pitt mystery series. I have reviewed the second book in this series, Triple Jeopardy, on this blog. If you know anything about the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series, you will know that Daniel is their son and he is now grown up and is a lawyer in his own right. He is just starting out in his career, but has had successful cases prior to this one and he is still struggling to find out more about the law and how to properly defend his clients. In this book, Rob Adwell, is charged with arson and committing murder during the course of the fire. HIs girlfriend, Jessie, pleads on his behalf with Daniel to represent him in his defense and Daniel takes the case believing Adwell is innocent of the crimes. Daniel is able to get the jury to acquit him of all charges and is shocked when Adwell turns up dead in the same manner that he was accused and now Jessie is charged with arson and his murder.
I feel like I struggled with this book. It was long-winded some parts and was probably my least favorite of the series so far. There wasn’t a lot of character development in this book and I am anxious to have the characters evolve at a more faster pace. This book felt more like a placeholder than an actual beneficial installment to this series. Also, most of the books in this series tend to follow one case, this one had three separate cases in it and it was a little hard to follow in parts. This book featured some forensic science and how it was developing in the early 20th century, which was fascinating; however, the same information was repeated frequently throughout the book to the point it was almost overdone.
While this book wasn’t one of my favorites in this series, I do like Daniel’s character and the supporting characters Perry has created in this series. I feel like the author could have taken this book in several different directions and the end result was a little disappointing. The ending felt rushed and while I liked the characters and their stories, it wasn’t enough to make this a very enjoyable read which is surprising coming from such an acclaimed author as Perry. Normally her books are engaging and very hard to put down. I am hoping that the next in the series, Death with a Double Edge, will be better. I have it on my to read list and I am hoping the next installment will be just as engaging as before.
Overall Rating: 2.5 stars
Author: Anne Perry
Series: Daniel Pitt Mystery #3
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: April 7, 2020
Pages: 338
Genre: Historical Mystery
Get It: Amazon
Disclaimer: This book was selected by myself at the library, and I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.
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